Biography: Jackie Chan

Edit: Not sure why this isn't formatting the paragraphs correctly. But here it is.

Roberto Martinez

Professor Boughn

THE 3220

2 April 2011

Biography: Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan is one of the most skilled clowns of the modern era. Unlike his peers, Chan is able to blend an appearance of martial arts prowess with the typical clowning traits of over-complicated problems seamlessly into a unique mix of traits. Where other people have to choose between being the comic relief or the brave hero, Chan does both with equal effectiveness. While others such as Sammo Hung and Stephen Chow have had success following in his footsteps, Jackie Chan was the foremost pioneer mixing Hong Kong action and clowning (Wiki).

Jakie Chan, originally called “Kong-sang” Chan (literally “Born in Hong Kong”) was born in 1954 to a poor couple, Charles and Lee Lee Chan. Charles and Lee Lee worked for the French embassy working as a cook and house cleaner respectively, and although they did not earn much it was a very steady job. Charles began teaching Jackie martial arts at a young age in order to try and add some structure and discipline to his life. When Jackie began attending school, he began using his training in school yard fights, which in turn were punished by his father (a plot element seen in the Drunken Master movies).

Jackie failed his first year of school just as his father earned a new, much more lucrative position as head cook for the American embassy in Australia. The family decided that it would be better to keep Jackie in Hong Kong and enrolled him in the China Drama Academy, a Peking opera school. During this time, Jackie’s training was expanded to incorporate acting, singing, acrobatics, and tumbling as well as continuing his martial arts schooling. Jackie prospered in this field and also met two of his closest collaborators, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. The three would eventually go on to be called the “Three Brothers” in Hong Kong cinema. Jackie began work as a stunt man in a pair of Bruce Lee films, Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon (Chuck Norris also worked as a stunt man on the film).

After this initial set of successes, the Hong Kong cinema industry went through a period of bust following Bruce Lee’s death. As a result, Jackie emigrated to Australia to live with his parents. Because the China Drama Academy didn’t teach reading or writing, Jackie was only qualified for unskilled labor. He started working restaurant and construction jobs. This is where he first got the name “Jackie” as his co-workers had trouble pronouncing his given name. Jackie had a distaste for the jobs as he found them “difficult and boring” (Biography). Thankfully, Chan soon started getting offers from Hong Kong again thanks to his previous work and his physical similarity to Bruce Lee.

Trying to capitalize on his looks, movie producers attempted to make Jackie into an action hero starting with New Fist of Fury. The film and its subsequent attempts to make Jackie the new Bruce met with failure, partly because Jackie studied different techniques than Bruce. However, when a director decided to let Jackie contribute ideas in Snake in Eagle’s Shadow, which allowed him to infuse humor into the action of the movie, which was well-received. Jackie became a sensation for bringing physical comedy to the kung fu genre. After branching from China to Japan, it would take a few years before Jackie took a swing at the American market with the film Cannon Ball Run (the inclusion of bloopers during the credit reel became a staple of Jackie’s films after seeing how well it worked for this film). Jackie became frustrated with Hollywood, however, and wouldn’t attempt to make another movie in the country until Rumble in the Bronx in the early 90s, which lead to him becoming a sensation in the United States.

Jackie’s stardom continues to accumulate. In 2008 he was one of the torch-bearers for the Beijing Olympics, continuing his film work, as well as serving an ambassador to UNICEF and UNAIDS. Jackie’s son, Jaycee Chan has started a career as a successful singer in China, a skill Jackie shares but is not widely known for outside of the People’s Republic. If all goes well, Jackie will continue to delight the world with his blend of action and comedy for decades to come.

Works Cited

"Biography." The Official Website of Jackie Chan. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

"Jackie Chan." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Ehhhhh...... What's up Doc?

Zak Wziontka
Bugs Bunny
Born on July 27, 1940 Bugs Bunny was born into the film life. His parents Tex Avery and Robert McKimson were proud to release him into the world with his debut role in A Wild Hare. After this his career took off staring in over 220 movies and television shows and also appeared in his own comic book series from 1952 to 1692. He dazzled audiences with comedic roles where in he incorporated various styles of clowning, dancing, singing, as well as drag. What makes his clowning abilities exceptional to others is his ability to negate and manipulate the rules of time and space; he is not constrained by the laws of physics.
His favorite snack is carrots; his most consistent stalker is Elmer Fudd; his partner in crime as well as greatest rival, Daffy Duck. He could not be as successful as he is today if it were not for help from his partners, but he also received help from other outside sources. Born a mute a film career was difficult to maintain if it were not for Mel Blanc, who voiced Bugs for almost five decades until his untimely death in 1989. Although Bugs took the death hard, he was able to pick back up with Jeff Burgman. There have also been various other people Bugs has worked with such as Greg Burson, Billy West, Joe Alaskey, Samuel Vincent, and Noel Blanc.
Bugs matured over the years from his first showing to his most recent film career. In the 1940’s the majority of his roles were immature and spontaneous. Being an entertainer during the conflicts of World War II, he made Warner Brothers into the most profitable cartoon studios of the time because audiences enjoyed his easy going laid back attitude. In the 1950’s Bugs became less sporadic even though he kept up his clowning art.
One important trait of Bugs is that as a protagonist he always acts violently in self-defense. Although there was a time where Bugs enjoyed a bit of revenge on Donald Duck when he received god-like powers and becomes the animator of the world Donald is living in. Yet even though he is not always the instigator of the conflict presented to him, he is generally the one who finishes it. Except for him cameo role in Family Guy where Elmer Fudd shoots him in the stomach and Bugs sees a temporary demise.
Compared to all of the early aged cartoon characters who are still around to this day, most but all of them cannot hold a candle to Bugs Bunny. He always has been and always will be apart of our lives, there to give us comfort, make us laugh and sometime cry, and will always be a funny bunny.

I'll Bust your Keaton.

First of all, I have to disagree about the spontaneity thing. While there's a 1,000 hours of prep work that goes into acting, into movement, into everything that is art, it's nothing without spontaneity. Improv in particular has to have that at its core, and to say that no good art is spontaneous is insulting to me. Plus, there's what Christy talks about in direction - 95% of the time when you pull something out of your butt, it's crap. But 5% it's totally brilliant. This is not to downplay the importance of prep work and artistry, but man, to say that no good art is spontaneous? Nahhhh.

As for the rest - interesting understanding the thinking behind the three second game. I can dig it. But if I hadn't taken improv already, it would have put me more in my head, I think. As is, it did give me a couple seconds to center myself and stop letting my brain dictate. So that was cool.

The analysis on Chaplin and Keaton, though, that is pure gold. I particularly liked the interjection of training Robert Downy Jr. I love that biopic, his performance in it was so damned amazing with the physical comedy that I had to go back and watch as much Chaplin as I could (and since this was before the days of the Internet, that was like, five movies available at the library.) I kind of wish he'd talked about Harold Lloyd a little more, the guy was a genius as well - not as good as Keaton and Chaplin, but he was amazing in his own right. He's notable, too, being one of the few slapstick clowns who turned a profit with talkies. Mad Wednesday is one of my favorite films because of him.

Right. Workout log: I went dancing for the first time in ages, and not only did I need less alcohol to start dancing, but it felt so much more natural this go 'round. I wasn't in my head and I had a really good time. My muscles hurt all over the next day, but it was totally worth it. Also did some sit-ups over the course of the break, and I'm getting some really good core strengthening as a result.

Clowning with the best

Stephen Hawking!!!!
I know I am 5 minutes late, but I needed to do something for yesterday,
April Fools!!!!

Mr. Bean!!!

Funny, Funny Rowan Atkinson

When I was growing up, I had a friend, Dara, that was from Scotland and she introduced me to the popular British show, “Mr. Bean.” Every weekend during the summer we would stay up all night and watch episode after episode. We just couldn’t get enough of it and would end up watching reruns but we did not mind. It was still just as funny as the first time we watched it. Little did I know that twenty years later, I would be writing a paper on the infamous Rowan Atkinson and wishing I were young again and watching him for the first time.

Rowan Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. He grew up on a farm with two older brothers which probably explains his comedic demeanor. When you are the youngest in the family, you really struggle to stand out and be individual. He probably was a funny person even back then so he could get his older brothers’ approval. He eventually made it to college and attended Newcastle University and Oxford University. He has his degrees in electrical engineering which is very interesting. I would never have expected him to be educated in that field of work. During his time at school, he met a screenwriter named Richard Curtis. The both of them wrote and performed comedy revues and the rest of his career just skyrocketed (IMDB).

Rowan Atkinson began appearing in movies around 1976. He was in “Pleasure at Her Majesty’s,” “Dead on Time,” “Never Say Never Again,” “The Tall Guy,” “The Black Adder” and Funny Business.” He also appeared and wrote “Not the Nine O’Clock News” which won him a 1979 international Emmy Award and a British Academy Award for “Best Light Entertainment Program of 1980. He eventually was also given the “BBC Personality of the Year” award for this show. He was also in the Musical, “Oliver” in the West End but had to quit the show because he had a hernia and needed surgery on it (IMDB).

He married in 1990 to Sunetra Sastry and they have two children, Benjamin and Lily. His favorite thing to do is to race fast cars. He collects older fast cars but also has some newer cars such as his MacLaren F1, a supercar valued at more than $1,000,000 . Too bad he crashed it into the back of a stationary Mini Metro. Good thing the damages were not all that big. But that is not the only car he has crashed. He also crashed his Aston Martins DB7 Vantage in the Aston Martins Owners Club series. That was after the same car was featured in his recent film, “Johnny English.” He is also notorious for riding go-karts around his tennis courts instead of playing tennis. In addition to the driving of his cars, he writes about cars as well. He is a frequent author for the British car magazine, CAR (IMDB).

Rowan Atkinson is also very active in politics. “In June 2005, he and many other famous actors went to the British Parliament in an attempt to force a review of a Bill which they felt would give overwhelming power to religious groups to impose censorship on the arts” (Wiki). His passion for the arts also made him sympathetic to his fellow co-workers, especially those who were homosexual. “In 2009, he criticized homophobic speech legislation, saying that the House of Lords must vote against a government attempt to remove a free speech clause in an anti-gay hate law” (Wiki). His involvement in politics has inspired others to come forth and speak their minds.

Other fun facts about Rowan Atkinson is that he was the voice of Zazu in the Disney animated motion picture “The Lion King” and made appearances in American films such as, “Rat Race,” “Love Actually,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and “Scooby-Doo.” This is all great but Rowan Atkinson is most famous for his physical comedy that can be found in none other than one of my favorite shows growing up... “Mr. Bean!” He does not talk and some would consider that his style is mime influenced. He is very “visually” based. His facial expressions are unforgettable and unbelievable. The physicality that he uses really puts him in the “clown” category and which made him the actor he is today. Without the use of these great tools, Rowan Atkinson would probably not be famous. It is amazing how a little clowning around can make you an icon in all of acting history!

Works Cited

"Rowan Atkinson." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Apr. 2011.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_Atkinson>.

"Rowan Atkinson - Biography." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 02 Apr. 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000100/bio>.

Rowan Atkinson, “Mr. Bean” videos: (My Favorite!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWCSQm86UB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZujYUcY5xc&feature=relmfu

Buster Keaton

I was excited to research a physical comedian because they are really interesting actors as well as people. I love the silent film era, and I am a huge Charlie Chaplin fan. I decided to go with another actor I didn't know as well, so I chose the great Buster Keaton. I've seen a couple of his short films and he is also very fun to watch.

Buster lived from 1895-1966 and is American born. He was born into vaudeville family which explains right away why the bug of acting bit him. The myth about his name is that when he was a young child he fell down some stairs and suffered no injuries. Buster has stuck with him since then. That reminds me of the show Mythbusters, which has a stunt dummy dubbed Buster. Actors like Keaton and Chaplin had a real knack for falling and sliding and not hurting themselves. It is a mix of natural instinct, grace and smarts about the human body. He started performing in a family group called The Three Keatons. In his young years in this act he really honed his talent for falling and not getting injured. At one point he was marketed as, "The Little Boy Who Can't Be Damaged." It's said that now and then people would confront his parents about child abuse, which could always be disproved by lack of bruises or broken bones.

As he got older and left the vaudeville scene he started doing theater. He was in New York and was slowly making a name for himself in the theatrical scene. He moved on from there to film. Wikipedia says that he did not serve active combat, but he was enlisted during World War I. He suffered somedamage to his ear and hearing because of this.

His first silent film was called The Butcher Boy. This

image is of Buster Keaton and Fatty Arbuckle in that film.

One aspect of his technique that he is famous for are his great dead pan expressions. This is a really useful technique in comedy because it really shows that you are in control of your acting. Cracking up at your own jokes makes the audience laugh less. Keaton was very smart kid and noticed this while performing with his parents in The Three Keatons. He noticed that when he would get caught up and laugh along with the skit the audience would laugh less. He was finally dubbed "The Great Stone Face."

Some of Keaton's most famous and notable films include Steamboat Bill Jr., The General, The Navigator, Seven Chances and The Camera Man. One thing he also did that led to his famous aesthetic are the pork pie hats he wore. One is seen in the above photo (also showcasing his dead pan face.) He liked to fashion his own and they are directly linked to how people remember him. He was a very committed actor when it came to falling and sacrificing his body. Although he was skilled at not hurting himself, he did suffer some pain while making some of his films. It's said that during the filming of Sherlock Jr. he fell against the railroad track and broke his neck. He didn't even realize it until a year later. He was very lucky while doing some of the stunts in his films. They are even stunts that would be scary and tricky nowadays with film's modern technical advances.

Watching clips of Buster's movement really makes me think back to when you taught us how to fall correctly. He makes it look so effortless and real. He is a great example to watch for pratfalls and physical joking. He said that being limp helped him not to get hurt. I think he is a shining example of someone who was born to be a comedian. I like using all the technique you showed us in class on how to fall correctly. It is useful however, to watch him and try to emmulate how natural he makes it look. It is much rarer today to have an actor that can do his own stunts, and set up the "special effects" for it as well. Silent movie actors really sacrificed themselves for their art.

Like most actors and comedians, Buster had a bit of a tumultuous love life. He had several marriages and two sons. He also had a period of drinking and some rough times in his later life. He eventually died of lung cancer in 1966. He left an amazing legacy, and has influenced countless actors. His brand of physical comedy is so unique, and no one has been able to recreate it. He was truly an original and he is a great person to study if you are looking to get into slapstick or physical acting of any kind.

April Fool's Day

To celebrate April Fool's Day, go read my post from a little while ago re: Bill Irwin, master clown, and his career:

Clown to Killer

~Prof. Jenn